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My Take On DIY Hennessy Hammock. A Tutorial.

First off, big thanks to wilsonbmw for disassembling his HH for us to learn from.

I started this thread to find out how to incorporated some of the features of a HH in a DIY model. I think the hammock that I made accomplished what I set out to do and here's how I did it.

I was basically trying to make my own version of the HH Ultralight Backpacker Asym. My original HH is very comfortable and fits me well, but there were a few things that were I wanted to change. I wanted a top loading hammock for easier entry and exit. I wanted to be able to reach outside the hammock while I am inside the hammock. I also wanted to be able to go without the top net when the weather permitted.

I started by checking the HH site for dimensions of the fabric for the HH ULBA which was 120" x 60". I used untreated 1.9oz ripstop for the hammock body. I started by roll hemming all four edges of the fabric.

Before I went any further I took the time to lay the hammock body out flat and located the asymmetrical tie out points. You can see in the illustration below, to find the asymm. tie outs you need to find the center of the hammock. The tie out points are located 26" on center. Measure up 13" on one side and 13" down from the center on the opposite side and that will give you the proper tie out locations that will be compatible with the JRB line of quilts or other HH accessories that attach to the side tie outs.

Notice the orientation of the tie outs to the foot end of the hammock. If you are standing at the foot end the "high" tie out is on the right side and the "low" tie out is located on the left side.
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Next I sewed the fabric together on each end for 8", basically creating a short tube on each end:

I did this because I plan to add a zipper around the lip of the hammock body that will allow me to attach a bug net, or a top cover like I use on my HH now, or go completely topless . This will save weight in the long run because I will only have to caryy the top portion I need; netting for buggy summertime, top cover for winter, and topless in the spring and fall (and star gazing).

I realized that my ridge line was going to be a problem because it needed to be located inside the hammock ends otherwise it would interfere with my zipper idea. I made a loop thingy from the Spectra line I cut off my original HH. You will see why did this soon .

I used rolled the edges from the bottom of the hammock body instead of the standard gathering technique. I must have rolled and whipped this thing 12 times before I got the right "feel". I came up with 5 rolls per side. I made sure to keep the edges as even as possible when rolling. You can see the loop thiny situated in the middle of the hammock, between the top and bottom layer.

Hammock laid out:

Last edited by headchange4u; 10-16-2007 at 16:20.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

I then sewed on side tie outs in a way that I could still add a zipper later. I used 3/4" nylon webbing. I reinforced the tie out points with a heavy Supplex (blue):

Here is a pic of the finished hammock (Yeah I used Glo Cord for a ridge line ). I will get some pics of it hanging soon. My JRB under quilts fit the hammock perfectly. What was that little loop thingy for? It's what I clip my removable ridge line to (second pic). The loop thingy is locked inside the whipping and this method actually ended up working very well.

The hammock lays differently than any other Hammock I have made. The bottom of the hammock is flat with a pocket that forms on each end for my head and feet. I fell this is due to the roll whip. It definatly has a HH feel and is very comfortable. I also lay flatter in this hammock than in any other I have tried.

Added 12-12-07:Making a top cover pattern

I have had a few people ask how I made my top covers for my HH clone. It's not a complicated process, but it is kinda hard to explain. I hope my instructions are clear enough.

I do highly recommend that you make a pattern because it will allow you to easily make different top covers, from different materials, and it's a lot easier to make marks and measurements on the pattern paper than it is to mark the fabric. I used Tyvek to make my pattern. You can get enough Tyvek from Ebay for $5-6 to make this reusable pattern (about 2-3 yards should be enough) .

To begin with, you will need to setup the hammock normally , and stake out the side tie outs. You will only be taking 3 measurements from the hammock:the ridge line measurement (A), the distance from the ridge line to the side tie out (B), and the short side asym measurement (C). The ridge line measurement should be the distance between where the fabric comes together on the foot end to where the fabric comes together on the head end. It is not the actual length of the ridge line.

The first thing that I did was to draw out a rectangle using the ridge line measurement as the height and 2 x the distance from the ridge line to the side tie out as the width of the rectangle (rectangle indicated by red and blue dotted lines). For example, if you had a ridge line measurement of 80" and a the distance from the ridge line to the side tie out is 30" per side, then the rectangle should be 80" tall and 60" wide. The rectangle should be divided in half, lengthwise, by measurement A.

The next thing that you need to do is transfer measurement C to the pattern. Lay your yard stick at the apex point and adjust it so that the distance between the apex and the intersect point matches your measurement C Repeat this process on the opposite end of the the pattern, on the opposite side of the center line.

The final step in making the pattern is to draw in the long asym sides (indicated by the dotted black line). All you have to do is to use a straight edge to make a line from the intersect point to the apex point that is the furthest away.

After you have all your lines drawn, simply cut out the asymmetrically shaped pattern from the rectangle and you now have a reusable top cover pattern.

Last edited by headchange4u; 12-12-2007 at 17:13.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

That loop is a good idea, if you want to have your ridgeline inside the bug netting.
Like you, I made a Hennessey hammock clone using wilsonbmw's pictures (thank you!). It rocks! I have never slept in a HH before, but even my homemade HH is more comfortable than previous, Speer style hammocks. I will post pics as soon as it is finished (had a scary fabric tearing incident earlier), but I wanted to speak up now because I couldn't believe someone had beaten me to the punch. I mean, the pictures have been up for what, a week? Some of you guys are lightning fast gearmakers!

Keep an eye on those ridgeline biners...I don't think they're load-bearing. Might work ok in this application depending on how much stress you put on the ridgeline.

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

At this point in the process, basically what you see in the finished pic next to bottom, it weighs 14.2oz including a small sil nylon stuff sack. I'm hoping I can keep it under a pound without any top covers, but I am looking at 100" of zipper on each side of the hammock. I have found that seperating zippers that long are also kinda expensive.

Jeff,
The biners have held fine so far. I have not slept in it but I have laid in it several times. I would like to get something stronger but still light to replace them.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

At this point in the process, basically what you see in the finished pic next to bottom, it weighs 14.2oz including a small sil nylon stuff sack. I'm hoping I can keep it under a pound without any top covers, but I am looking at 100" of zipper on each side of the hammock. I have found that seperating zippers that long are also kinda expensive.

Jeff,
The biners have held fine so far. I have not slept in it but I have laid in it several times. I would like to get something stronger but still light to replace them.

Not bad at all! Nice looking, and right on par with the ULB for weight. Awesome!

As a side note, gee thanks for another project I ma have to try now....and that I wasn't even considering before!

"Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson